Grain-car door.



Patented May 2, 1916.

B. L. CORNELIUS.

GRAIN CAR DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9. |913.

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BENEMIN L. CORNELIUS, 0F HUTCHIINSON, MESAS.

GRAlIN-CAR DOOR.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2., Mitt?.

Application filed September 9, 1913. Serial'ltt. Tl'ttt.

invention, such as will enable others skilledy in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which' form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to grain doors and more particularly to a door for use on railway grain cars, the principal object of the invention being to provide a door of that general character wherein sections may be actuated independently of each other in order to vary the area of the door opening and thereby provide for better controlling the emptying of a car of loose grain. ln accomplishing this and other objects of the invention, ll have provided improved details of structure, the preferred form of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure l is a perspective view of a railway grain car equipped with a. door containing my improvements. Fig. lll is a perspective viewl of the door frame and portions of several of the door sections. lFig. .Hl vis a perspective view of the opposite portion ot the Adoor frame, part ofthe car being broken away to show the slides for carrying the door sections within the side of the car. Fig. 1V is an enlarged vertical section of part of the door sill and the lower section of the door, showing the means for opening the lower. section of a Vdoor when the car upon which the door is carried is Fig. V is a vertical section on the line V`V, lFig. lill,

- showing the rack and pinion mechanism ttt illustrated in lFig. lV.

Referring more in detail to the parts 1 designates `a `railway grain car ot any ordinary construction, having .a side door opening 2 provided with jambs 3 and a sill t. @ne jamb'' is provided with avertical slot 6, which communicates with a space 7 between the inner and outer walls of the car, and a portion of the jamb at one side of the slot is provided with spaced transverse grooves 8, the lower edges of which are in alinement with the upper edges of horizontal battens 9 that are fixed to the wall of the car within the chamber 7.

` Slidably mounted on the sill 4 is a lower door ysection 11 comprising an enlarged` base rail 12, that is adapted for travel o n the sill 4 and through the lower chamber groove 8, and` web 13, which is adapted for guided travel in the narrower portion of the slot 6. The lower door section may be of any desired height and is adapted for supporting an upper section 14 of-like construction, except that the base rail l15 of the upper section is provided with a bottom groove, which tits over the upper edge of the web 13 of the lower door section, so that both sections are guided by the groove and slot connection when either of the sections is moved longitudinally relative to the other. There. may be any-suitable number of upper door sections 14, according to the width of the sections and the height to which the door opening 2 is to' be closed.

Mounted on the jamb 3, at each door section position, is astaple 16, and mounted on each door section is a hasp 17 which is adapted for coperaton with the staple 16 or with a staple 18 on thechamber' at the opposite side of the door opening, to lock the door sections in place; it being apparent that a padlock, or any suitable device (not shown) may be used to retain the door sections in open or closed positions after they have been moved to bring the hasps into proper relation with the staples.

lt is apparent that when the car is empty, the door sections may be moved inwardly and outwardly by hand, but that when the car is loaded, the contents of car will tend to press the door sections outwardly and lock the same against the door jambs. ln order to conveniently open the door against such pressure, and particularly to open the lower door sections so that loose grain may pour out at the bottom of the door, ll provide the base rail 12, of the lower door section, with a rack 20 which is adapted to mesh with a pinion, 21 that is mounted in a chamber 22 1n the door sili and projects through a slot 23 into meshing engagement with the rack. The pinion 22 is carried on a shatt24 comprising a cylindrical inner end 2li adapted for revoluhle and sliding travel in the socket 25 in the door sill, a cylindrical outer end adapted for sliding and revoluble travel in a bearing 26, that communicates with chamber 22 and with an outer socket 27, and a squared central portion 28, which is adapted for keyed relation with the squared aperture 29 in the pinion. The bearing 26 is square so that the squared portion 28 may be inserted or removed and is of such a size that the faces thereof contact with the shaft 24 to form a bearing. The outer crank handle 31 is pivotally connected to shaft 23, and may be turned on its mounting and nested within the socket 27 in the side of the car, when the pinion shaft is forced inwardly, and thereby avoid any projection beyond the plane of the side of thecar.

In order to obviate stoppage of the lower door sections, on account of loose grain co1- lecting in the chamber 6, I provide an opening 32 at the lower, inner corner of the opening, through which the grain may be removed in case any should be caught within the chamber.

In using the door, presuming all of the sections to be in closed position and the car loaded with loose grain, it is apparent that the door will completely close the opening, so that the grain is held securely within the car, and also that the car may be locked and sealed by means of the hasp and staple mechanism.

When the car is to be unloaded, the lower door section is unlocked, the crank handle removed from its socket and drawn outwardly, so that the squared portion of the section is open, the loose grain will iow out beneath the upper sections, until the grain adjacent the door has been removed from the car, when the upper sections may be moved back by 4hand to afford access to the interior of the car.

It is apparent that after the lower door section has been opened by means of the rack and pinion mechanism, the handle shaft may bc moved back until the pinion is carried on the handle portion of the shaft, so that it may revolve idly when the lower door section is closed by hand.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination with a door frame, having a sill chamber and slot, and an outwardly opening socket and having a vertical slot, of a sectional door having a lower section, a base rail on said door section having a downwardly opening groove, a rack in salu groove, a shaft revolubly mounted in said silland adapted for longitudinal movement therein, and having a squared portion located in said sill chamber, a inon meshing with said rack and mounted 1n said sill slot, and having a square aperture adapted for engagement by the squared portion of said shaft when at one limit of its transverse movement, and a handle hingedly mounted on said shaft and adapted to nest in the outwardly opening socket of said sill when said shaft is movedto the opposite limit of its transverse movement.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN L. CORNELIUS.

Witnesses:

A. D. CRo'rrs, ERNEST MURPHY. 

